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One of the best ways to measure the successful application of renewable energy are on those islands which are not connected to any other electrical grid.

Getting mainland grid power to islands can be an expensive proposition, making it impossible for many islands to receive electricity from the mainland. In the past, islands survived (or subsisted) on expensive diesel power units and obscene quantities of diesel fuel, in order to provide electricity for island residents. Rarely was any kind of renewable energy employed except for some Pacific islands that burned relatively small quantities of coconut oil or palm oil in their diesel generator.

However, islands now have the choice between clean, renewable electricity generation and diesel generator power. Solar power and wind power are the two main ways to have renewable energy on islands, but biomass and in some places, geothermal can provide residents with reliable electrical power.

Renewable Energy Powers At Least Three Populated Islands

At least three populated islands exist in the world that can legitimately be called ‘100% powered by renewable energy’ and more are soon to follow, as islands can now significantly benefit from renewable energy.

Samsø Island, Denmark. A 100% Wind Powered Island

Samsø Island, Denmark is a 100% wind-powered island whose 4100 residents receive all of their electricity from 21 wind turbines and are able to sell their considerable surplus electricity to the rest of the country via an undersea cable system.

Note, Samsø does not import electricity from the mainland grid, rather, they export Samsø Island’s renewable energy to the mainland.

In less than ten years, Samsø went from producing 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person per year — one of the highest carbon emissions per capita in Europe — to just 4.4 tonnes (the U.S. is at 17.6), and has proven that running on 100 percent renewable electricity is possible.

The island now heats 60 percent of its homes with three district heating plants running on straw, and one which runs on a combination of wood chips and solar panels. People outside of the heating plants’ reach have replaced or supplemented their oil burner with solar panels, ground-source heat pumps, or wood pellet boilers.

Tokelau, South Pacific is an island nation made up of three tiny atolls which has been powered by 100% solar power since October 2012.

Previous to that, the Pacific nation was powered by diesel generators which frequently broke down and cost $800,000 per year just for fuel. That is quite a burden for a nation whose population amounts to a grand total of 1500 citizens.

Tokelauans only had electricity 15 to 18 hours per day. They now have three solar photovoltaic systems, one on each atoll. The 4,032 solar panels (with a capacity of around one megawatt), 392 inverters, and 1,344 batteries provide 150 percent of their current electricity demand, allowing the Tokelauans to eventually expand their electricity use.

In overcast weather, the generators run on local coconut oil, providing power while recharging the battery bank. The only fossil fuels used in Tokelau now are for the island nation’s three cars.

New Zealand advanced $7 million to Tokelau to install the PV systems. But with the amount of money saved on fuel imports — the system will pay for itself in a relatively short time period (nine years with simple payback). — CleanTechnica.com

Iceland has produced 100% of its electrical power from renewables since 1980. The country’s hydroelectric dams provide 74 percent of its electricity — geothermal power produces the remaining 26 percent. Some wind turbines are now being installed to meet anticipated future electrical demand.

The aluminum industry was attracted to Iceland to take advantage of the low renewable energy electricity prices on the island nation, which provides an economic boost to Iceland generally, and employment for some Icelanders.

Despite a land area of 100,000 km², only 300,000 people inhabit the island, two-thirds of those in the capital Reykjavik. Yet, Iceland shows what can be done when a nation puts its mind to the task of eliminating fossil fuels.

Until the extensive development of the island’s hydro and geothermal resources, the country was dependent upon coal and oil for providing transportation, fueling its fishing fleet, and heating its homes.

The latter is not something to take lightly in a nation just south of the Arctic Circle. Iceland’s older residents can remember a time when coal smoke, not steam from the island’s famed [volcanic] fumaroles, shrouded the capital.

Iceland is a leader in geothermal development and exports its technical expertise worldwide. The country, along with the Philippines and El Salvador, is among countries with the highest penetration of geothermal energy in electricity generation worldwide.

On a per capita basis, Iceland is an order of magnitude ahead of any other nation in installed geothermal generating capacity. — RenewEconomy.com.au

Perhaps moreso than anywhere else, island residents can reap the benefits of renewable energy. The high cost of shipping fossil fuels to islands, not to mention the high cost of the fossil product itself, can make the transition to renewables an economic and environmental benefit for island residents.

By switching to renewable energy, island nations reduce their reliance on imported fuels, keep money in the local economy, provide their residents with reliable power, and lower their carbon emissions. They can also serve as “test beds” for adoption of new technologies and models of what can happen on a larger scale.

China’s generous electric vehicle subsidy was rumoured for months to face huge cuts — but the Finance Ministry has lowered the subsidy by only half of what was originally planned (a 5% drop in 2014, and a 10% drop in 2015).

Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers within and outside of the country had been holding their breath ever since the first hints of a possible subsidy cut trickled out into the press.

However, since the latest announcement electric vehicle manufacturers have been celebrating — including Tesla Motors (TSLA) whose stock values have suddenly surged to a record high of $196 per share. Last year, 35,000 to 60,000 yuan ($5,780 to $9,900 USD) per electric vehicle were paid out in subsidies as the frenetic push continues for cleaner air within China’s smog-choked cities.

China has been on a manufacturing roll in recent years. Even companies that are not based in China choose to manufacture their products in the world’s most dynamic economy. Tesla Motors recently entered the Chinese automotive industry despite legal challenges — and Tesla brass expect the Chinese electric vehicle industry to be as large as, or even larger than that of the U.S.

That doesn’t surprise me, as China has the world’s largest population (1.35 billion in 2012, according to Google), and the world’s largest car market.

Apart from that, Tesla’s stock value could come crashing back down as it did in November of 2013. A 40% decrease occurred in a matter of months, possibly caused by reports of (only) three Tesla Model S fires.

KBA conducted its investigation and came to the same conclusion as Tesla, writing:

“According to the documents, no manufacturer-related defects [herstellerseitiger Mangel] could be found. Therefore, no further measures under the German Product Safety Act [Produktsicherheitsgesetz (ProdSG)] are deemed necessary.”

I would also expect the electric vehicle industry to show strong growth as millions more of China’s citizens begin to enjoy disposable income levels on par with other emerging nations. In the China of 2014, hundreds of millions of people need economical cars today and (literally) millions of others are waiting for the opportunity to buy a luxury car. In some cases, due to the long waiting lists the delivery date for a luxury imported car can take longer than one year in China.

According to the Wall Street Journal, even Rolls-Royce sells more cars in China than they do in most countries, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars per vehicle. China and the U.S. are the most significant markets (as of January 2014) for Rolls-Royce.

Global Wind Power Capacity Set to Rise

In recent years, about 100,000 MegaWatts (MW) of wind power have been installed every three years, globally. As wind turbine technology and production facilities have ramped up, turbine costs have fallen significantly — resulting in a predictable demand curve.

The U.S. and China are by far, the world’s major players, with Germany, Spain, and Japan holding respectable positions in capacity and in turbine technology. As China entered the game, their massive manufacturing sector went into overdrive to meet expected demand. Some countries, (like the Netherlands) licensed their advanced turbine technology to China which worked to further speed production and installations inside the Middle Kingdom.

Huge increases in turbine supply, have resulted in huge increases in installations. The supply/demand result displays brilliantly in the chart below.

Looking at the chart, is there any doubt that the brisk pace of turbine installations will continue? Barring localized disruptions due to changing regulations or lowering of regional subsidy schemes, it looks like 100,000 MW will be added to the world grid every three years until 2020 at the very least.

Wind Power Ready for Takeoff in Asia

A recent Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) report informs us that 2013 was a relatively ‘slow year’ for turbine installations with only 12.5% global growth over 2012 numbers. Most of the blame for this rests on the ‘on again — off again’ uncertainty surrounding the expiration of the PTC (Production Tax Credit) in the U.S. which was responsible for severely limiting the number and size of installations in that country.

“China has embarked on the greatest push for renewable energy the world has ever seen. A key element involves more than doubling the number of wind turbines in the next six years. Already the world’s largest producer of wind power, China plans further massive increases.From a current installed capacity of 75 GigaWatts the aim is to achieve a staggering 200 GigaWatts of installed wind power by 2020.” — BBC

Wind surpasses Nuclear in China in 2013

At 2% of total electrical power generation in China wind surpassed nuclear (1.2%) last year, to become the country’s third-largest generator of electricity, after fossil fuels (all fossil fuels together total 78.2%) and hydro-electric (18.5%).

By 2020, even accounting for the growth of all other kinds of energy in China, it will represent 4% of total electrical generation. Which doesn’t sound like much, but it is a staggering number in itself, especially when compared to the rest of the world’s turbine installations combined!

What can renewable energy investors expect 2014-2020?

Plenty of growth for one thing. Better turbine technology and enhanced reliability, for another. More focus on so-called ‘wind corridors’ — those areas within a country’s boundaries where it happens to be most advantageous to place each turbine — yet close enough to electrical demand centres to be economical. Dramatically increased efficiency due to placing the turbine unit atop taller towers in the 200-300m range. Falling turbine prices will continue, courtesy of the massive entry into the global turbine market by China. And, turbine technology improvements and installations will continue at a rapid pace within China, and at a steady pace globally.

China surpasses all of its Renewable Energy targets (twice!)

In July of 2013, it was announced that China planned to add an unprecedented 10 GigaWatts (GW) of solar power per year for each of the next three years, (starting from FY 2013) for a grand total of 30 GW over 3 years.

But by October 2013 China’s solar target had been upped to 12 GW — and now in February 2014, while they are still doing the final counting, China’s total installations might well surpass 14 GW for 2013 — and yet another 14GW is planned for 2014 (for a total of 28 GW in only 2 years).

(Prior to China’s aggressive solar installation programme, Germany held the world record at 7.6 GW in 2011)

“The 2013 figures show the astonishing scale of the Chinese market, now the sleeping dragon has awoken.”

“PV is becoming ever cheaper and simpler to install, and China’s government has been as surprised as European governments by how quickly it can be deployed in response to incentives.” — Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Distributed Energy leads the charge

Officials from China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) said that two thirds (8GW) of China’s 2014 target would come from the rapidly growing segment known as ‘Distributed Energy’ — installations comprised of small-scale arrays usually mounted on rooftops — or when not mounted on rooftops, are otherwise situated very close to electricity demand centres.

It is interesting to note that strong Chinese (14GW in 2014) and Japanese (7.2GW in 2014) solar PV demand will account for 40-45 percent of all 2014 global installations and that 2/3rds of that is expected to be small-scale, distributed energy.

Distributed energy will become the fastest-growing part of the solar market in China, Japan, Thailand and many other countries in 2014. Further, China continues to scale back on subsidies and incentives as the Chinese government increasingly sees solar PV as a mature industry, running near grid-parity in the country and capable of competing without government intervention.

Subsidies for Solar PV to virtually disappear by 2015

“With PV costs falling and traditional energy prices rising, there could be some 700 MW of unsubsidized PV announced worldwide.”

“While government subsidies and incentives have traditionally fueled the early growth and adoption of solar power, the recent scaling-back of these policies has left PV increasingly going solo – the signs are good, though, that the market might well be ready to take flight unassisted in 2014.” — PVmagazine.com

The Chinese ‘Year of the Horse’ will happen at full gallop

All in all, 2014 looks set to become a momentous turning point in the global PV industry, especially as Japan and China ramp up production/installation to unprecedented levels and drive towards unsubsidized, distributed energy solutions — and with no shortage of eager customers.

For very different reasons — Japan replacing it’s lost capacity due to the Fukushima meltdown and their citizens’ subsequent turn away from nuclear and China working towards improving their urban air quality — the future for solar PV and distributed energy in the Asia region looks very bright indeed.

Three Decades of GDP Growth

After three full decades of impressive GDP numbers, China’s strong growth looks set to continue until the end of the decade.

Never in history has any country accomplished such staggering GDP growth numbers, modernized its infrastructure, oriented its political structures to accept a minimal degree of capitalism, and carry the demands of 1.35 billion people.

Let’s take a look at China’s 1979-2013 GDP numbers.

China is now enjoying stable growth rates. In short, as China’s economy has matured, it has successfully transitioned from a Frontier economy to an Emerging economy — and with plenty of momentum in hand, has settled-in to the long-term task of building a Developed economy.

For those willing to engage with China there is the potential for substantial reward, and as in any emerging economy, an element of risk is associated with investing there. In the case of investment or corporate relocation to China, responsible leaders and individual investors alike, are wise to seek the guidance from experienced professionals as they navigate several cultures and languages and the various levels and departments of a (still) communist government.

Focus on Planning

Fortunately, statist economies like China’s are centrally-planned in five year cycles, and for the most part these five year plans are released, translated, and then published by the media.

Addressing the Source

One of China’s most pressing problems is the quality of life for her citizens, the absence of which can affect overall citizen satisfaction and even worker productivity.

The poor air quality in China, which reportedly leads to 410,000 premature worker deaths per year, has been addressed with a huge push towards renewable energy. The Common Language Project (clpmag.org) provides a telling snapshot:

“China faces a number of serious environmental issues caused by overpopulation and rapid industrial growth.

Water pollution and a resulting shortage of drinking water is one such issue, as is air pollution caused by an over-reliance on coal as fuel.

It has been estimated that 410,000 Chinese die as a result of pollution each year.

Deforestation and desertification are also issues and an estimated one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 has been lost to soil erosion and economic development. The country is also host to the trade of endangered species. The country’s rivers constitute the largest potential source of hydropower in the world.

Since 2007, China has stepped up government efforts to work toward environmental sustainability by holding local officials to national standards, publishing national climate change policies and establishing groups on climate change.” — clpmag.org

Measurable Results

To say China’s leadership has posted an aggressive response to air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and the follow-on effects on citizen health and the economic costs of widespread pollution is a verifiable understatement.

In only a few years, China has surpassed wind and solar PV leaders Germany and the U.S. in the production and installation of wind turbines and solar panels and increased energy efficiency.

Announced in July of 2013, China’s National Energy Administration told the media that they expected to install 10 GW of solar by year end of 2013, another 10 GW of solar to be installed in year 2014, and yet another 10 GW of solar to be installed in year 2015.

While many nations were installing mere MegaWatts (MW) of solar or wind power in an effort to ‘look green’ — China’s energy officials said that although they had planned to install 10 GW of solar power in 2013, China may have surpassed that target by a full 4 GigaWatts for a grand total of 14 GW of solar installed in year 2013!

The latest pollution reduction measures announced in China now point to increased spending on energy efficiency and a commitment to the installation of 14 GW of solar panels in 2013 (already done), another 14 GW in year 2014 (in progress) and yet another 14 GW for 2015.